They say home is where your heart is. It’s bittersweet to be home here in the states because, I think I can speak for all our team, a part of our heart is still in the Dominican Republic with our brothers and sisters of La Vid. We all travelled back last Wednesday and the long day of travel was covered in God’s grace as was evident through a few different opportunities. I wanted to take some time to summarize our trip and urge you to continue in prayer with us.
Unity
Our small but mighty team consisted of nine, faith-filled and Gospel-minded saints, who operated as one unit. The unity of our team came from the fact that we were focused on one goal for the week: living out the Gospel alongside our Dominican friends. Our prayer and focus for the time was the simplicity of living out the one another commands of the Bible, and enjoying and serving through fellowship. This became a priority and was evident in how we spent the majority of our time and energy. Whether through intense games of Jenga, sharing testimonies and life stories, or through making and serving meals together, we operated as the body of Christ in much of the same way we try to live here state-side: in community.
Our dear friends joined in with our little “family,” and we continued to live out “new to La Vid” ways to love and serve their fellow students, co-workers, and family members. Our friends noted the impact of the time spent together, even sharing that they didn’t know each other well before our time with them. In reality, we had front-row seats to the Spirit of God working to unify the saints of La Vid over the course of 10 days. What we witnessed was these young people opening their lives up to one another.
Prayer Point 1:
We ask that you join us in our prayer for these saints, a prayer that Peter also prayed for us in 1 Peter 3:8. That we would “have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.”
Outreach
Each day brought a new opportunity to share a way of living out the one-another commands of the Bible. Most of the students of La Vid work full-time jobs and commute into school on their days off or in between jobs. These students work hard and study not only to support themselves but also to help support and provide for their own families in some cases. As we prayed for the saints, we thought of ways we, as working adults in the states, would love and serve in our workplaces, homes, and classes.
Our exuberant and gospel-minded teammate Mel Holle led the charge one day to round up supplies so that she could, alongside Yuri and Gabriel, make treats for their co-workers. Our Dominican friends were skeptical at first of our American protein balls but were won over after finding that their co-workers loved them the next day at work and were disappointed that there were not enough for seconds. Yuri and Gabriel were excited and encouraged that this gave them an opportunity to love and serve their 40 co-workers and be able to engage in conversations about the Lord.
Prayer Point 2:
Please pray for our Dominican brothers and sisters as they continue to build relationships with their co-workers for the sake of the gospel. Galatians 5:13: “For you were called to be free, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.”
Equip
Another primary goal for our time was the equipping of the saints in sharing and teaching the truth of the Bible. Ed and I were able to spend time with a couple of the leaders of La Vid, helping them to examine the Scriptures, think through ways to share and teach them, and planning out Bible study times for the future. The financial support of our many friends and family members here made it possible to bring study bibles down for a few of the key leaders of La Vid, which we pray will help them in their understanding and knowledge of the Word of God.
Prayer Point 3:
Please be praying that with these new “swords” they’re able to deepen their relationship with Jesus and grow in their understanding of His truth. 2 Timothy 2:2: “And what you have hear from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”
The Mission Continues
Our journey home from the Dominican did not mean that our mission was over. While waiting in Miami for our flight to Chicago, Mel was able to strike up a conversation with a man sitting next to her. I will note that the charging station seats are a hot commodity in the airports, and Wednesday, the Lord had a plan for a young man named Johnson. Johnson is a Haitian man who is living in a town outside of San Pedro, Dominican Republic working for a Christian ministry to serve underprivileged youth and orphans. He was in the United States to receive a month’s worth of training in New Jersey for ministry work. Johnson was a great encouragement. In him, we were able to meet and learn from a brother who truly desired to see God’s love and the gospel go forth in the Dominican Republic. We were able to give to him material from our time that would help to equip him in his work. I had realized just that morning that I still had many Spanish materials such as bibles, tracts, and training books leftover in my backpack.
Prayer Point 4:
Please be praying for Johnson as he is being trained for ministry in the United States. Also be praying for him to faithfully share the truth the Gospel.
Hebrews 13:20-21
“Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
I speak on behalf of our entire team, Shaly, Megan, Briana, Mel, Alicia, Tyler, Jordan, Ed, and myself, in thanking each of you who prayed and supported this trip. Without you, this wouldn’t have been possible. We know that God is working in the Dominican Republic, and we are beyond thankful and humbled to be a part of the work that He is doing. Thank you for allowing us to be extension of your desire to see the gospel go forth to the nations! We are trusting God to continue the work that He has begun (Philippians 1:6).
Prayer Point 5:
Please pray for us as we continue to seek to live for the Lord and honor Him in all we do. Also please pray for Alicia as she will continue to love and serve in the Dominican for a few more weeks.
I simply want to close this blog with this, our Great Commission as given to us by Jesus Himself, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
It’s an ongoing command that applies to wherever God has us in life. Let’s all be faithful to make disciples where God has us.
In Christ,
David Langley
It's hard to believe that there are only two days left of our trip here in the Dominican Republic. We fly out Wednesday morning, and I am sure it will be bittersweet for all of us as we say goodbye to dear friends here and say hello to friends and family back home.
Yesterday we took a trip to San Pedro in the morning to attend Pastor Sabino's church along with some of our La Vid Friends. Pastor Sabino gave a powerful sermon from Numbers 13 on having the "right perspective." In this passage the Israelites have been brought to the point just outside of the land of Canaan, the Promised Land, and Moses commissions a team to scout out the land. After 40 days, the men return to give a report about their findings to Moses. These men find that the land is exactly as God had promised; "Indeed it is flowing with milk and honey, and here is some of its fruit."(v. 27) Unfortunately, most of these men can't see past the obstacles that lie between them and the Promised Land. Although they are within grasp of this great promise, they become discouraged because their focus is on what they can't do, rather than on what God CAN do. It can be so easy to have this kind of wrong mindset, right? I know it can be for me. Even during this trip, I was challenged with the question, "Why am I here?" I am only here about 9 days a year, so what kind of impact could I truly have?
This morning we met up for worship and group discussion. I was very encouraged to hear about the relationships that had begun, or were growing, between our members and those of La Vid. Our intent this year is a little different than it has been in years past in that we have focused more of our attention on developing, serving, and just loving on those core members of La Vid. Given certain obstacles like distance, lack of time together, and even the day-to-day busyness of life, I found the news about how the Lord had really blessed these relationships to be very encouraging!
This all became even more clear as the day unfolded. We hung out with a couple of our friends from La Vid, Gabriele and Ezequiel, then went to the campus at 4 o'clock to sow seeds of the Gospel along side our brothers and sisters here. After that, we came back to the hostel to have dinner and spend more time engaging in fellowship. Seeing the Lord's work in the hearts of all the people we are surrounded by, and the unity that has come from the love we have for one another, is an incredible thing to witness. Even with what little it seems like we can do, or are doing, God can do even more with it than we could have ever imagined.
"I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit, and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God's love, and know th Messiah's love that supasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us - to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." - Ephesians 3:16-21
Thank you for your ongoing prayers and support!
Tyler Hochstetler
God's timing is always perfect, even if we don't always understand it in the moment. This morning on my first flight I sat next to a Dominican girl named Francesca. She was flying to Miami to visit her very ill grandma, who is facing a dangerous surgery that she might not survive. We immediately connected because of our love for our grandmas. We talked for over two hours, most of which was talking about the Gospel. Praise God! Just two weeks ago she was having a rough time and went back to church. She now is really desiring to be part of a church and a Bible study like she used to be. So, I was able to share how fellowship has impacted me - even just on this trip. She seems to desire this so much.
Unfortunately, her husband does not know the Lord so she hasn't made church a priority. So I explained that her role as his wife is the most influential relationship that he has. I told her that the most important responsibility as his wife is to love him and to continuously point him to Christ. She prays to God faithfully every day so I asked if she prays for her husband's salvation. I asked if she's concerned about where her husband would go if he died. She was shocked and admitted she never thought about praying for her husband to know Christ. She hadn't truly considered the influence that she has in his life, instead she had just hoped that someday God would change his heart. She seemed excited to start praying for her husband's salvation and being more intentional for the Gospel in their relationship. She gave me a big hug when we got off the plane and made me promise to stay in touch. Please pray Francesca finds fellowship and for her husband's salvation!
I'm so thankful I was on that flight this morning. God's timing is ALWAYS perfect.
Briana P.
Last Friday night, as a church body, a few hundred people gathered in Des Moines to pray. Why? Because we know that God "hears the prayers of the upright" (Proverbs 15:8) and because we know and trust that He delights in our prayers. We know this, so we do it.
What is the by-product of these prayer times? The easy answer to this is "answered prayers", but I think that it's more than that. As we join to pray, it unites our hearts. It unites our minds. It unites us as a body of believers in a way that honors Christ. It helps us to focus on the goal of our faith. Paul exhorts the saints in Philippians 2 to "make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose."
Our prayer for the saints of La Vid has been that they would be growing together, unified for the sake of the Gospel. That they would grow in their love and devotion to one another as they grow to love Christ more and more and that the outpouring of this would be fruit in their lives and fruit in the form of souls won for Christ.
Tonight, after breaking bread together (and I do mean breaking bread - Jordan ate 5 pieces before his meal was even served) we joined together in prayer, and it was beautiful. It was beautiful to hear the hearts of the saints unite in different languages, one language, the language of God: the language of prayer.
We thank you for your prayers for us and for the people of the Dominican Republic. We are truly grateful and know that God is at work. There is much more to share, but we'll leave that for tomorrow.
Shaly Moyal
On Friday we were invited to have supper at Yuri's mother's house. She made us an authentic Dominican meal that was delicious! David said she made the best tostones he's ever had in the Dominican. She also made us a Dominican drink called Tamarindo that was delicious - it tasted like a cold apple cider! We shared our favorite Bible verses and enjoyed a great night of fellowship with our Dominican friends. When we returned to the hostel we made protein balls for Yuri and Gabriel to take to work the next day so they could bless their coworkers.
This morning started out with a bit of excitement. Bri and Mel woke up to find a cockroach in their room! First, please understand that cockroaches in the Dominican are at least 3 inches long. Also, they have wings and can fly! So, it was a terrifying sight to see first thing in the morning. Ed and Tyler came to the rescue with a cheese grater, shoes, and a Bible. Thankfully the shoes did the trick and other weapons did not need to be used in the process. After we were confident that our hostel was once again cockroach-free, Carlos and Diana brought us to Los Tres Ojos where there are beautiful underground caves. We had fun exploring and seeing God's beautiful creation! We also learned that the first Jurassic Park movie was filmed here.
Then we walked to the Old City (Zona Colonial) to shop and sight-see some more. We took a lot of selfies today! Yuri, Carlos, and Diana joined us for supper at 'Parking Burger'. Yuri told us how it went delivering the treats to her coworkers today. She explained that at first she counted and didn't think they'd have enough for all their coworkers. So they just decided to pass them out until they were gone. However, all their coworkers were able to have one and there was even one left for both Yuri and Gabriel to enjoy! The Lord provided! We were so excited to hear about this. Please pray that their coworkers were impacted by their love today, and that Yuri and Gabriel would continue to find ways to reach out to their coworkers.
Briana Pfadenhauer
These days, when you hear someone say they're going on a 'mission trip', you always expect for those people to return. Sure, they'll return with good stories, with encouragement, and with a humble heart that hopefully motivates them to change and appreciate the life they have, but you expect them to return.
Tonight we celebrated "pancake day" a few months late. But hey, we're running on "Dominican Time". In the midst of eating and dancing and laughing, the lights began to flicker. Then the power went out. Then our apartment on the fifth floor was suddenly transformed into a discoteca so we naturally danced more, complete with fist pumps until we heard a pop.
A few more loud pops led us to run to the balcony only to witness the power pole across the street spewing sparks. The sparks flew over to our power box, which powers the entire hostel. We listened and then watched as our power panel blew up and exploded into flames. As smoke billowed into the street and up to our balcony, we watched in amazement as people ran to the streets. Our very own David Langley ran downstairs, found a fire extinguisher, and went after it. He was able to temporarily put out the flames. However, the pops are continuing, and we are still waiting for the fire department to arrive, 35 minutes later. David grabbed a translator to try to keep people away from the panel, which will most likely burst into flames again, but the locals aren't as cautious as we seem to be.
Today we went to an orphanage that one of the guys from La Vid, Ezekiel, used to live in for several years of his childhood. On the way there, in talking to some of the girls, we realized that the 911 system had only been working in the country for a few years (and I use the term "working" loosely). I asked them, "What did you do before 911 if you had an emergency?" They responded, "You died. Or, if you could, you got a taxi to get yourself to the hospital."
Death. It's real. Not long ago missionaries went into the field to die. They knew that in order to reach people in foreign countries, it would most likely cost them their physical lives. There was no "911" to call. Death is real. We may not have come to the DR expecting to die, but it reminds us that we must be willing to give up our lives, maybe not physically, but perhaps someday we may be called to do that. Jesus said in Mark 8:34, "He who seeks to save his life, will lose it. but he who loses his life for my sake and for the gospel's will save it."
We are fine, the fire is under control, and our generator is up and running. We are still waiting on the fire department, while David is downstairs with an arsenal of fire extinguishers. It has been almost an hour now.
Mel has been looking forward to "bon" (ice cream) all night so now her new slogan is "bon voyage" to everyone. So we'll end there for the night. Thank you for your prayers. We are all well and safe and thankful to be here with the faithful saints of La Vid in Santo Domingo.
Shaly Moyal
Welcome from the Dominican Republic! The team had a very good day. We started out with worship and went to campus to try to share with some new Dominicans. We ran into many people from previous years as well, including a girl named Karen. She is a Jehovah's Witness and very zealous. Briana has shared with her before, and Karen does not let her talk very much about Christianity. Please pray that if we meet her again her heart is softer and that God would give us divine insight to be able to explain truth.
A few of us had some very extensive conversations with other people. Please be praying for Jorge who had never read James 2:10-11. After some of the group members shared that with him he said, "So I am screwed." Please be praying that he would take this verse to heart and would fully understand the weight of his sin and current position before the Lord. Another group member, Jordan, had an hour-long Gospel conversation with another Dominican. Please be praying that Jordan would have another opportunity to meet with him.
We have been able to spend a lot of time with a few group members from La Vid as well, especially Yuri. Please pray for her and Melina as they are the main women laborers of La Vid. Pray that God would strengthen and encourage them and give them wisdom on how to love and disciple women. In two days we will be traveling to Yuri's house to have dinner with her family and are praying about if we should do a Bible Study in her community. Our group deeply appreciates your prayers and support. Thanks!
Melissa Holle
